Coaster-brake for velocipedes, toy automobiles, and the like.



J. B ALLEN.

COASTER BRAKE FOR VE LOCIPEDES, TOY AUTOMOBILES, AND'THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. 1915-.

RENEWED JAN, 2, I917.

Patented July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET llNl/E/WOP E ar WITNESSES:

J. B. ALLEN.

COASTER BRAKE FOR VELOCIPEDES, TOY AUTOMOBILES, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 18. I915- RENEWED .IAN. 2,19I7.

Patented J uly 10, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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JAMES B. ALLEN, OF PUEBLO, COLORADO.

COASTER-BRAKE FOR VELOCIPEDES, TOY AUTOMOBILES, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1917.

Application filed February 18, 1915, Serial No. 9,057. Renewed January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140,307.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coaster-Brakes for Velocipedes, Toy Automobiles, and the like, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention is an improvement in coasting and brake attachments for velocipedes, toy automobiles, and like vehicles; and its object is the provision of a simple and eliicient device which may be attached to such toy vehicles without any considerable eX- pense and which will, by the act of moving a lever arm a certain amount, disconnect the driving means and enable the rider to coast and by a further rotation of the same lever arm apply a brake. Further and more particular objects and advantages of my i11- vention will later appear in this specification.

In the two sheets of drawings accompanying this application and forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a partial, vertical section showing the upper part of a velocipede, the section being taken on a plane between the nearer side of the fork and the head;

Fig. 2 is a partial front view showing the handle bar and the upper ends of the forks and the head;

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective showing one element of the locking means for holding the handle bar in set position;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation showing the hub of the front wheel, portions of the forks and a collar being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the hub and the pedal shaft;

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification of the sliding collar which forms a means of connecting the hub to the pedal shaft;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the operating lever parts when applied to a toy automobile; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a toy automobile, with portions of the bottom broken away, showing my invention as applied to such a vehicle.

Broadly speaking my invention comprises a hub normally free to rotate with respect to the driving shaft, a cooperating collar splined to the driving shaft and adapted to be bro g t n o eng ent with said. 1 b,

a brake adapted to. engage the driven wheel or Wheels, and a single operating means adapted first to free said collar from engagement and allow the driving shaft to run free and, if-further operated, to apply said brake. As the precise form given these parts differ in the cases of a velocipede and a toy automobile, I will describe these two embodiments of my invention separately; and will refer first to the velocipede shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

The reference numeral 10 indicates the tire of the large front wheel of a' velocipede, which wheel has spokes 11 secured in holes 12 in the flanges of the hub 13. The reduced ends 14 of the hub are journaled in the forks 15, which are joined near the top by the head 16 to which is pivoted the member 17 which carries the seat and which forks at its rear to form a mounting for the rear wheels, which latter parts are not shown as they form no part of my invention.

Through the upper and preferably forwardly turned ends of the forks passes the handle bar which is free to rotate in the forks and which may conveniently be made as follows: The bar is composed of two section, A and B, the section A carrying means for fixing the bar to the forks in a plurality of positions. These means comprise a reciprocating plunger 17 (shown detached in Fig. 3) which fits within the tubing of which the bar is made and which is guided by a reduced outer end 18 running in a disk 19 secured within the bar member A. A compression spring 20 tends always to force the plunger 17 toward the forks and a connection 21, preferably flexible, extends from the outer end of 18 to a trigger 22 in position to be grasped by the fingers of the hand on the handle 23 so that pulling upward on said trigger will retract the plunger 17. This plunger carries a; lug 24L protruding through the slot 25 in the member A and in position to engage notches in the side of the fork 26. In assembling, the plunger 17 carrying the spring 20 and the cord or wire 21 is inserted in the member A and 21 is passed through and attached to 22. Then the lug 24 is inserted through the slot 25 and secured in position by tightening the screw 27 by a tool introduced through the still open end of the member A. Then A is placed in position in the forks and B rigidly secured thereto as by rivets S c e in a coupler 28, a lever arm 29 having been placed on the member A between the forks as said member was inserted and secured to the member A by the set screw 30.

The lever arm 29 has attached thereto a link Inember31, which, as it acts in tension only, may, if desired, be a cord or wire or small flexible cable. At its lower end this link is connected to the horizontal member of a bell crank lever 32, mounted in a bracket 33 'on one of the forks. The other end of the bell crank lever 32 carries a pin 34 adapted to ride in a circumferential groove in a collar 36 splined to the shaft 37 by a key which lies in the slot 38 (see Fig. '5) in the enlarged end 39 ofsaid shaft and which key is retained from falling out by the pedal 49 secured to that end of the shaft.

A compression spring 40 is interposed between the collar 36 and the face 41 of the hub 13 so as to tend to force the collar '36 away from engagement with the hub. The collar '36 has on its inner face lugs 42 adapt ed to engage notches 43 in the outer face of the hub when drawn into proximity thereto. Then, therefore, tension is placed on the link 31 the bell crank lever 32 will be swung to force the lugs 42 on the collar 36 into engageinent with the notches 43.

These parts are assembledas follows: The forks 15 are sprung to receive the hub 13 and the shaft 37 is then inserted. Then the pedal 44 is secured in position by the rivet 45, a shoulder on said pedal being in position-to Contact with the outer face of the fork on that side. Then a collar 46 is screwed on the threads 47 (see Fig. 5) on the other end of the hub, the purpose of this collar being to retain the fork 15 on the reduced portion 14 of the hub. Then the spring 40 is placed in position and the sliding collar 36 is slipped on-the enlarged por-:

tion 39 of the shaft 37 and a key 48 is slipped into the groove 38 in said shaft and a corresponding groove in said collar and held in position as previously described, the remaining pedal 49 being placed on the shaft 37 and held rigidly there by the rivet 50.

The means for braking which I prefer to employ comprise a brake 51 connected by a rod 52 with the lever arm 29 and guided as shown'by an opening in a lug on the head 16. While not essential to my invention I prefer to have the point of connection of the rod 52 farther from the fulcrum of the lever arm than the point of connection of the link 31 for reasons which will later appear.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified form of the sliding collar 36 which 1 have indicated by 36 In this form the lugs which make the connection between the collar which rotates with the shaft and the hub are 'bjev'jeled on one side as shown, thus pres senting an engaging face to the not hes 4.3

only when turning the pedals to go forward. So if the rider should try to throw the clutch in while coasting so rapidly that the wheel is turning faster than the pedal shaft can be turned, the pedal shaft will not be driven, thus avoiding possibility of accident. In this view there is also shown more plainly the key receiving groove 53 on the interior of the sliding sleeve, this part of collar 36* being exactly like collar '36.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated the applicability of my invention to toy automobiles and the likewherein the drive is not direct on the shaft. In this modification the gear wheel 54, to which the power may be applied by gearing, a sprocket chain or the like, is free to rotate on the shaft 55 and may conveniently be held in line by a collar 56 rigid therewith which runs in a split sleeve 57 secured to the shaft (half of this sleeve being removed in Fig. 8), or by any other suitable means. The gear carries on one face lugs 58 adapted to engage lugs on a sliding collar 59 similar in all respects to the collar 36 shown in Fig. 4 and adapted to be similarly operated by a bell crank 60 mounted in a bracket 61 on the frame. The bell crank 60 is connected by a flexible connection 62 with a lever arm 63 rigid on the shaft 64 which ektendstransv'ersely of the wehi cle slightly in advance of the wheels. The shaft 64 carries at its ends the brakes 65 and has at one side a lever arm 66 connected by a rod 67 with an operating lever 68 convenient to the seat. A notched segment 69 is provided to hold the lever '68 in adjusted positions.

Operation.

Referring first to the modification of Figs. 1 to 5, and supposing the parts to be in driving position, that is to say with the brake released and the handle bar so raised as to cause the cord or link 31 to move the sliding collar 36 into engagement with the'notches 43 in the hub '13 and the lug 24 to engage the lower of the notches as shown in Fig. 2. The device now operates in the same manner as an ordinary v-el-ocipede. Now if the rider desires to coast he will grasp the trigger 22 and retract the lug 24 from the notch with which it was in engagement. If the handle bar be depressed so that the lug 24 will enter the next notch (the upper one in Fig. 2) the lever arm'29 will have swung far enough to permit the spring 40 to force the clutch out thus freeing the front wheel on its axle; and still the travel of the brake rod 52 is so proportioned that the brake 51 will not contact with the wheel rim 10, but the parts will take substantially the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. However, if it be desired to apply the brake the trigger 22 can be {operated to hold thelug 24 out of engagement with the upper notch and the handle bar still further depressed and the brake applied.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, the parts are shown in coasting or intermediate position. If the lever 68 be pulled farther back the brakes will be applied. On the other hand if it be pushed until the catch enters the forward notch the connection 62 will draw the sliding sleeve 59 into engagement with the gear 54 and the gear will be fast to the shaft and in driving position. In the operation of throwing out the clutch and applying the brake after the sleeve 59 has moved as far as the spring tends to throw it the connection 62 will merely flex as the shaft 64 is turned farther to apply the brake.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is the most general that where it is not convenient to mount the lever 68 directly on the shaft 64. It will, however, be obvious that is the parts are so proportioned that a lever on the shaft 64 would be within convenient reach, the lever may be so mounted and the link 67 done away with.

It will also be clear that in the two illustrations selected I have shown the general adaptability of my invention to vehicles in which the power is applied directly to the shaft (as in Figs. 1 to 5) and also to those where the power is not applied directly (as in Figs. 7 and 8). These two illustrations are thought ample to show how the invention can be applied to all vehicles of the toy or amusement type, the change from a driving shaft idle part of the time, as in Figs. 1 to 5, to a constantly running shaft with intermittently idle driving mechanism, as in Figs. 7 and 8, resulting merely in a reversal of parts and in the substitution of two separated lever arms 63, 66 for the single lever arm 29 of the first modification.

In my special hub I have provided a construction which enables a velocipede to be readily provided with coaster mechanism at low cost, without rendering the machine cumbersome or furnishing it with parts liable to get out of order. This hub differs from all others with which I am familiar in that it has exterior bearing surfaces which are journaled in the frame, which bearing surfaces receive and transmit the load, instead of the hub receiving it from an interior shaft which is journaled in the frame. Furthermore this hub, shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, may be used on a toy automobile or tricycle by the simple expedient of forming the hubs of the rear wheels as in Fig. 5 and journaling these hubs in the frame, mounting a floating axle in the hubs, and providing one or both of the hubs with the clutch mechanism for connecting them with the axle. In this way the axle may be bent to form cranks which may be either acted on by the childs feet direct or by oscillating links which carry the pedalswhich &

are the present usual forms of designing such devices.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a hollow hub having exterior and interior bearing surfaces thereon, said exterior bearing surfaces being adapted to be received in bearings in a structure constituting a load and said interior bearing surfaces being adapted to receive and constitute bearings for a shaft, a driving shaft journaled in said hub and normally free to rotate therein, and means for making said shaft fast to said 1111 v 2. In a device of the class described, a hollow hub having exterior and interior bearing surfaces thereon, said exterior bearing surfaces being adapted to be received in bearings in a structure constituting a load and said interior bearing surfaces being adapted to receive and constitute bearings for a shaft, said hub carrying one member of a clutch, a driving shaft journaled in said hub and normally free to rotate therein, a collar splined to said shaft and carrying the other member of said clutch, and means for shifting said collar to bring saidl clutch members into cooperation.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame, a hub having exterior bearing surfaces thereon, said exterior bearing surfaces being journaled in said frame, said hub carrying one member of a clutch, a wheel on said hub, a driving shaft journaled in said hub and normally free to rotate therein, a collar splined to said shaft and carrying the other member of said clutch, and means for shifting said collar to bring said clutch members into cooperation.

4:. In a velocipede, a head, handle bars journaled in said head, means for locking said bars to said head in a plurality of positions, means for retracting said locking means, a lever rigidly mounted on said bars, means for driving said velocipede comprising a clutch, and connection to said lever for operating said clutch when said handle bars are rotated in said head.

5. In a velocipede, a head terminating in forks handle bars journaled in said head, a latch for locking said handle bars to said head in a. plurality of positions, means for retracting said latch, a lever rigidly mounted on said bars, a hub journaled in said forks, said hub carrying thefront Wheel and one member of a clutch, a driving shaft journaled in said hub and free to rotate therein, a second clutch member splined on said shaft, a bell crank lever for operating said second clutch member, a brake, and connections from said lever to said bell crank lever and said brake for operating the same.

6.- In a velocipede, a head terminating in forks, handle bars journaled in said head, a latch for locking said handle bars to said head in a plurality of positions, means for retracting said latch, a lever rigidly mounted on said bars, a hub journaled in said forks, said hub carrying the front Wheel and one member of a clutch, a driving shaft journaled in said hub and free to rotate therein, a second clutch member splined on said shaft, a bell crank lever for operating said second clutch member, a brake, a flexible connection from said lever to said bell crank lever, and a rigid connection from said lever to said brake, the length, of the lever arm and connections being so proportioned that a movement of said handle bars in one di rection from intermediate position Will cause said flexible connection to pull said clutch members into engagement, that a re turn to intermediate position will permit said clutch members to separate but will not apply said brake, and that a further movement of said handle bars will apply said brake.

7. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a hub rotatably mounted with respect to said shaft, aclutch for joining said hub to said shaft, a spring tending normally to separate the parts of said clutch, a bell crank lever connected to one of the members of said clutch in position to shift the same, a lever arm, a brake, a flexible connection from said lever arm to said bell crank lever, and a rigid connection from said lever arm to said brake, the length of the lever arm and connections being so proportioned that a move ment of said lever arm in one direction from intermediate position Will cause said flexible connection to pull said clutch members into engagement against the resistance of said spring, that a return to intermediate position Will permit said spring to separate said clutch members but Will not apply said brake, and that a further movement of said lever arm Will apply said brake.

8. In a device of the class described, a shaft, a hub rotatably mounted With respect to said shaft, a clutch for joining said hub to said shaft, a spring tending normally to separate the parts of said clutch, a bell crank lever connected to one of the members of said clutch in position to shift the same, a lever arm, a brake, a flexible connection from said lever arm to said bell crank lever, a rigid connection from said lever arm to said brake, the length of the lever arm and connections being so proportioned that a movement of said lever arm in one direction from intermediate position Will cause said flexible connection to pull said clutch members into engagement against the resistance of said spring, that a return to intermediate position will permit said spring to separate said clutch members but will not apply said brake, and that a further movement of said lever arm Will apply said brake, and means for retaining said lever arm in its several positions.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afliXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES B. ALLEN.

WVitnesses:

ANNA H. ARTHUR, W. WV. BOUGHTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

